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Best hotel bars: Whiskey watering holes

No matter if you're a Scotch, Irish, Canadian, bourbon or rye fan, it's gotten a lot easier to find your favorite bottlings on the road thanks to a new group of hotel bars that stock a huge selection of brown spirits.

Love whiskey? What's your pleasure? No matter if you're a Scotch, Irish, Canadian, bourbon or rye fan, it's gotten a lot easier to find your favorite bottlings on the road thanks to a new group of hotel bars that stock a huge selection of brown spirits.

Louisville

It should come as no surprise that Proof On Main inside the 21C Museum Hotel has a fabulous collection of bourbons (more than 75 at last count), since, after all, the watering hole is in the heart of bourbon country: Louisville. It even boasts its own barrels of Van Winkle and Woodford Reserve.

But this isn't just a Kentucky phenomenon. Head north 300 miles to Sable Kitchen & Bar in Chicago's Hotel Palomar and you'll be handed an amazing whiskey list with dozens and dozens of single malt Scotches, bourbons and ryes, plus whiskies from Ireland, Japan and the rest of the world. That's not to mention delicious cocktails from all-star bartender Mike Ryan.

The dream vacation for foodies is a few nights at the acclaimed Blackberry Farm in Walland, Tenn. Not only is its restaurant renowned and the wine cellar legendary, but the establishment also offers a slate of food and wine events all year long. And a spirits drinker won't go thirsty at the establishment, either. In fact, the specialty of both its Dogwood Bar and Barn Bar is whiskey; there are even five featured tasting flights you can try, including the $1,000-per-person Bucket List Experience.

A few hours west, the Oak Bar in Nashville's historic, 103-year-old Hermitage Hotel certainly holds its own. The beautifully restored watering hole has an impressive collection of whiskey from around the world with more than 70 different bourbons, including some hard-to-find and obscure bottlings. And there are, of course, cocktails, too!